Life from Lightning
by specterdefector
Summary: The Fentons have finally completed their greatest invention: a portal to the ghost zone. They've checked everything twice, moved the 'on' button outside of the portal itself, but it doesn't work. That is, not until Danny plugs it in and gets the shock of his life, err, afterlife. [Frankenstein AU]
1. Portals and Power Cords

The mood in the Fenton lab was ecstatic. After years of research, arduously calculating and recalculating, they were ready to prove not only themselves, but also the existence of ghosts, to the world.

"Are you even sure it will work?" Danny asked skeptically from the stairs.

Maddie assured him with details of their calculations, then turned to her husband to check one final thing. "The on switch did get moved outside the portal, right sweetie?"

"Of course, I had Danny-boy do it."

"That should be everything. I think we're ready to turn it on. Jack, would you like to-"

"I'll push the button!" Jack exclaimed, racing over, slamming it in, and turning towards the portal to see it flash to life. When he saw no such flash, not even a spark, the expectant grin fell from his face, replaced by a look of disappointment.

Maddie's face mirrored Jack's. She removed herself from the lab, mumbling that she'd be upstairs. Jack followed her, saying something about finding Jazz to tell her it failed.

...

"It doesn't work. They tried to turn it on yesterday and nothing happened," Danny told his friends, who had come to the lab to see the strange failed portal. Looking toward the stairs, he added, "Come on, we shouldn't be down here."

"But aren't you curious?" Sam asked, peering into it, fascinated. "There's no harm in checking it out."

After much internal debate, Danny conceded and grabbed a hazmat suit, slipping it on as a precaution.

Before he could do anything, Sam stopped him to peel a sticker of Mr. Fenton's face off his chest. She inspected the rest of the suit for Fenton emblems, then nodded her approval.

"Well, here goes-" Danny paused as he glanced to the side, then chuckled. "No wonder it doesn't work. They forgot to plug it in."

He walked over, reached down, and grabbed the ends of two cords. Bringing them together, he connected them. A spark, and green light flared in the portal. A spark, and Danny's body flew backwards, electricity coursing through it. It stayed there, unmoving, without even a heartbeat, as his shocked friends called his name and rushed to the corpse.

...

Hours later, in the ghost Zone, a newly-formed ghost sat down to rest on one of the many floating islands. He had been fighting off other ghosts since his formation, which was evident from his torn hazmat suit. Now that he had evaded them all, he could finally rest. That's what he was doing when he was found not long after by Vlad Masters.

* * *

 _ **AN:** This is the first time I've posted a multi-chapter fic. I have an idea of where it's going up to a point and have part of that written, but I'm winging it after that. I'm new to this, so I'd love some feedback if you can spare a minute. Thanks for your support!_


	2. Discovered and Devised

It wasn't unusual for him to enter the Ghost Zone on a whim. Vlad had too much time on his hands and could always find something ghostly to interest him. If he wasn't seeking out powerful artifacts, there were plenty of ghosts with whom he could hone his skills. He was searching for an opponent when he came across the injured child.

The young boy was sitting on one of the Ghost Zone's many floating islands, leaning against some rocks. Vlad didn't recognize the ghost and thought he must be newly formed by the way he seemed so out of place. The boy had been looking around like he was both awed by his surroundings and hopelessly lost. But when he saw Vlad, he turned his attention to him and stared passively.

Vlad approached until he hovered just in front of the child and the two eyed each other wordlessly. The boy wore a black and white hazmat suit which had charred fingertips on the gloves. Sticky green ectoplasm covered his side and one hand. White hair stood straight out from his head as though he'd been rubbing it with a balloon. He had a very weak ghostly aura, though his eyes flickered with green light. Vlad was so intrigued by this stranger that he didn't realize he'd been staring until the boy broke the silence.

"Um... are you going to attack me or something?"

Vlad was taken aback. "Oh, pardon me," he sneered sarcastically. "Am I taking up your precious time?" The boy blinked and tilted his head.

"Huh? No, you looked like you were on a ghost hunt, and I'm pretty sure I'm a ghost now. Isn't this the part where you rip me apart 'molecule by molecule' or whatever it is my parents say?"

The last part caught Vlad's attention. "Are your parents ghost hunters? Tell me, boy, do you remember your name?" he asked in sudden earnest.

"Uh, yeah. My name is Danny..." He paused for a moment, straining to remember. "... Danny Fenton."

Vlad couldn't believe his luck. Maddie and Jack's own son was sitting right in front of him! He had probably been killed by some stupidity of Jack's. However, if he had died very recently, there was something he'd been wanting to try...

A plan formed in Vlad's mind and an enthusiastic smile broke across his face. "My dear boy! I'm an old friend of your parents. You simply must come to stay with me!"

"No offence, but my parents aren't friends with any ghosts, and I'm pretty sure that's what you are," Danny said skeptically.

"Of course, allow me to introduce myself." A ring of light flashed around Vlad and he stuck his now-human hand out to Danny. "Vlad Masters, halfa and old college friend of your parents."

Instead of shaking Vlad's hand, Danny gawked at it. "How'd you do that?"

"As I said, I'm a halfa." Seeing the blank look on Danny's face, he added, "Half ghost, half human, superior to both."

Bewildered, Danny asked, "Are you dead or alive?"

"What sort of insolent question is that?!" Calming himself, he answered, "Does it matter? I'm opening my home to you. You're injured, seem to have no place of your own, and I don't think Jack and Maddie would let you back in their house."

Danny hesitated. Vlad could tell he was overwhelmed by the idea of being a ghost. Even if he had come on a bit strong, Vlad knew what the boy would choose and wasn't surprised when he admitted "I guess it'd help with figuring everything out."

Vlad delightedly led Danny to his house and showed him to one of the many posh guest rooms. He left him to rest with the promise of seeing him the next morning.

...

Vlad himself wouldn't be resting. He needed to enact his plan immediately, which meant gathering some information. He picked up the phone and dialed.

Several rings later, a weary male voice answered the phone. Vlad suppressed a sigh.

"Hello, Jack, it's Vlad. I heard-"

"Vladdie?" Jack cut him off in surprise. "It's been so long... What-"

"I was just calling to express my condolences," Vlad said curtly. "I heard about young Daniel."

"You did? Oh, we meant to call and tell you ourselves, but the past 24 hours has been terrible. It was one of our inventions, a new portal we designed, that electrocuted him." He paused, and Vlad could imagine his aghast expression. "It makes me think of what could have happened with your portal accident, and how lucky we were back then."

"Yes, how lucky," Vlad said through clenched teeth. "I was wondering, will there be a viewing for him soon?"

"We don't know the details yet, but it will be at the Amity Funeral Home. Are you thinking of coming?"

"I am. Thank you, you've been most helpful. Send Maddie my condolences as well." Without another word, he hung up the phone and made his way down to his lab to make preparations.

* * *

 _ **AN:** This is a rather quick update for me. I don't tend to be a fast writer, I just happen to have several chapters written that only need editing. Once I burn through those, it may be slow going. _

_And luxbandit, upcoming chapters are probably going to be more like this length than the length of chapter 1. That was more of a prologue, I guess. _

_Thank you everyone who reviewed, followed, and faved for your support! You are the reason this chapter is up already!_


	3. Coaxed and Convinced

Danny was roused by the sound of a knock on the door, followed by a much too chipper greeting from Vlad. He hadn't been sleeping, not really. It was more akin to resting. His wound was definitely much better. He felt a little stronger now, perhaps even a little more solid, as if his new form had taken the chance to finish creating itself and recover from the stresses of yesterday.

"Feeling better, I see," Vlad noted as he entered. "Is there anything I can do to help you? It must be so hard, being a new ghost, and knowing that your parents despise the very thing you've just become. I can only imagine how it would feel if you encountered them and they threatened to tear you apart - what is that phrase Jack is so fond of? - ah, 'molecule by molecule.' How dreadful." Vlad visibly shuddered.

Danny shifted uneasily. It hadn't yet occurred to him that he might come across his parents. He couldn't bear to see them and have them shoot at him. Or would he even remember they were his family? He recalled his struggle to remember his full name yesterday. Would he continue to lose his human identity? If that happened, he might even shoot back at them. Would he have to avoid his hometown forever?

"Um, Vlad? Ghosts forget about their lives, don't they?" Vlad nodded. Danny stared solemnly at him as he spoke. "This is a lot to ask, but when I do, can you make sure I stay away from my family and don't hurt them?"

"Of course, my boy. And for your own safety, too. If they caught you, I'd hate to think what terrible actions they might take. I couldn't bear to see Maddie and Jack performing experiments on their own son."

Danny opened his mouth but couldn't come up with a response. Lost in his thoughts, he missed the smirk that snuck onto Vlad's face.

With that last comment, Vlad excused himself, striding out the door and leaving Danny alone with his thoughts.

...

Danny was staring idly at the TV even though the weather forecast was the most interesting thing to watch. Vlad knocked gently on the door but Danny, unable to hear over the weatherman's talk of rain and thunderstorms, nearly jumped as he entered

"Relax, son, it's just me. I was just popping by to spend some time with you." Vlad gestured toward two chairs situated in the corner, indicating that he should have a seat. Danny floated over and hovered just above the chair. Vlad took the remaining seat and faced Danny with a smile.

"So Daniel, I was hoping you could tell me about your life." Danny gave Vlad a bewildered stare. "What I mean is, tell me about the things you'll miss now that you're a ghost." He asked a dozen question at once about friends, hobbies, and various other topics, saying "I'm just here to listen, my boy. You know, it will be hard for you to remember these things soon."

Danny paused for a while, thinking back to his life. Who would he miss? Certainly the girl and the boy, whose names were already slipping from his mind, and his family, though he'd never felt close with them. That was something he regretted. What did he wish he could have done? He'd hoped to be an astronaut, to see the stars. It wasn't as if the stars disappeared the moment he died, but he knew that he'd never get a chance to go up to space. He didn't think NASA was pro-ghost.

He told all this to Vlad and more, who nodded sympathetically at all the right parts and acted genuinely interested. He occasionally said things like "It's tragic that your family never knew you well and that they'd shoot you if they saw you now," or "What a shame that a brilliant young man like yourself died so young, deprived of your chance to explore space."

Danny felt miserable. He thought that talking about it would help him move on, but it only brought to the surface, where it couldn't be ignored. Vlad saw the sorrow in the boy's eyes and knew it was the right time.

"It must be so hard for you, being a new ghost," Vlad consoled. "If only there was a way I could help you… well, there is something that might help, but it's not been tested. I wouldn't want to give you false hope."

"What is it?" Danny inquired. What could make it easier for him to adjust to being a ghost?

"I'm uncertain if I should tell you this," Vlad said, and wasted no time dropping the bombshell, "but I believe it might be possible to bring new ghosts back to life"

…

Danny had a lot on his mind. Vlad left the room right after he told him the idea, saying that Danny may be better off forgetting it, and it shouldn't have been brought up in the first place. But forgetting it was impossible. To be alive again would mean a chance to see his family again, to spend time with his friends, to go to space camp again, or even to space itself. But most of all, being alive would mean remembering. He wouldn't have to worry about looking his own sister in the eye and not recognizing her, but posing a threat to her instead. He could go home, live a normal life, but maybe do it a little better this time. So yeah. He couldn't just forget it. If there was anything he wouldn't forget, it was this.

…

Vlad was a hard man to find. The mansion was large, but not so large that a ghost shouldn't be able to locate him in well under an hour. But it took Danny at least that long, and would have taken longer if Vlad had not phased up through the floor directly in front of him.

"Daniel? What brings you here?" Vlad asked, as though he was surprised to see the boy and didn't anticipate his next question.

"I know you said to forget it, but do you really think it's possible? Bringing a ghost back to life?"

"Theoretically, yes. But it would all have to be under a specific set of circumstances, and there's no guarantee it'd work. Is it really something you'd want to try?" Vlad questioned. Danny nodded. "Very well. I'll see what I can do. For now, though, you need your rest. We won't be able to attempt anything until tonight at the earliest, so I'll let you know then, son."

Recognizing that he was dismissed, Danny floated back to his room. The rest of the day would feel long, but he hoped it would be worth the wait.

…

The Amity Funeral Home had a surprise visitor, though they didn't know it. He came and went in a matter of minutes, taking only one thing: a body. There wouldn't be any reason for them to open the freezer drawer where the boy was stored for several more days. It wouldn't do them any good by then. Shortly after this, the Amity Park Hospital was visited by the same man. Some equipment was taken from a storage closet, but it was returned before anyone noticed. Hours later, they realized several bags of blood were missing, but chalked it up to a miscount.

…

Vlad finished the preparations in his lab. They boy's body lay on the table with the IV hooked up to it and ready. Electrodes connected to various points on the chest, their wires running into a hole in the ceiling then disappearing out of view. All that was left to do was fetch the boy himself.

* * *

 _ **AN:** All I've gotta do is edit and post a few more chapters and the story is done. Everything is typed. There will be a sequel, but I'm not sure when I'll start it._


	4. Restraints and Revival

When Vlad knocked on his door, Danny jolted up, knowing the much-anticipated moment had arrived. Vlad eased the door open, but Danny was already zipping towards him.

"Everything is ready, Daniel. Are you still sure about this?"

Danny nodded resolutely. "If it means I won't be a threat to my friends and family, yes." He was terrified, but refused to let it show. The thought of forgetting his loved ones, perhaps hurting them, was too dreadful. He tried to look at the upcoming experiment optimistically. What's the worst that could happen to him? He was already dead.

…

Danny had never been in the lab before, but the unfamiliar room wasn't what snagged his attention. He gawked at something he knew intimately: his own body. It looked almost like a hospital patient, sickly and hooked up to machines. It made him nauseous. It was one thing to know he's dead, but another to stare at his lifeless corpse.

Vlad began flipping things on and checking calibrations. Thick, dark liquid ebbed up an IV tube from the body to a bag, while vibrant red blood flowed in from a different bag and tube. As the bags filled and emptied, Vlad replaced them respectively with empty and full ones.

After several mute minutes, Danny finally found his voice. "Vlad, what are all the tubes and wires?"

Still fiddling with blood bags, Vlad answered, "Oh, they're just replacing the old blood in your veins. Luckily they hadn't embalmed you, just shoved you in a freezer, which makes this so much easier. You wouldn't want to start your second chance at life with that in you." He gestured to the filling bag of dark, thick blood. "As for the wires," he continued, gesturing, "there's a fortuitous storm tonight, and the lightning from that is going to jump-start your heart. The wires connect to a lightning rod on the roof. If I'm correct, which I usually am, your body and spirit will be rejoined so long as the body is in working order and you are possessing it when the lightning strikes. Understand?"

Understanding next to nothing, Danny nodded.

"Good. Now, according to the radar," he said, glancing at a computer monitor, "the storm is practically on top of us. I'd guess we'll have a lightning strike sometime in the next one to five minutes. The blood has been replenished, the IV is disconnected, so it's all up to you now. Go ahead."

Danny stared blankly at his corpse on the lab table until Vlad interrupted his train of thought.

"The clock is ticking, Daniel. Just possess it."

"Um, how do you possess something? Is that something I should know by now, 'cause I've never done it before, and I might mess up since it's my first try, and I reallydon'twannascrewthisupbut-"

"DANIEL!" Vlad interrupted the teen's rambling and rubbed his temples. "Just jump into the body. You'll be fine, now do it."

Danny steeled himself and took the dive. If wasn't hard; he slid right in and nestled into place, almost as if he was coming home. For the smallest fraction of a second, everything seemed wonderful.

Then the wrongness hit him. He could feel his heart, something he hadn't felt for two days, and it wasn't beating. Some rational part of him knew this was to be expected, but that didn't make it feel right. He wanted to call out to Vlad, but his mouth and vocal cords wouldn't work. He tried to move in vain. Vlad noticed his struggles, and as Danny was about to exit his body, he spoke:

"Now Daniel, I need you to stay in there. I suppose your muscles must be working poorly, but they'll limber up as soon as you're shocked. In fact, it will probably send you flying, so why don't I just strap you down, hmm?" Still in his body, Danny was unable to respond, and Vlad restrained his wrists and ankles.

His body was utterly still. His heart wasn't beating, his lungs and diaphragm stayed inert, but his mind raced. He felt like he was suffocating. He was trapped in his own body, unable to breathe. He didn't really need to breathe, but that's the kind of thing you forget when you're panicking. Maybe he should get out and forget about this. If being in his body again felt this wrong, was it something he really wanted? Making up his mind, he tried to phase out, but found himself anchored. Why couldn't he- oh no. The restraints? Were they ghost-proof?

As if he could read Danny's thoughts, Vlad piped up, "I thought I asked you to stay there, son. Good thing those straps are ghost-proof, or we wouldn't be able to finish our little experiment. Don't worry, the wait is almost over."

Vlad had predicted a strike within five minutes, but it seemed more like five excruciating hours to Danny. He desperately wished for the lightning to come, if only because he'd be able to leave the table.

He finally got his wish. It struck the metal rod on the roof and the electricity traveled down the wires to his chest. Vlad was right: his muscles all moved at once and he felt himself bite his cheek. An anguished scream filled the air along with sudden blinding light. He felt pain through every inch of him, just like the first time, until it ebbed into numbness. The bright light, the coppery taste of blood, the smell of singed hair, and the sound of his own pulse thrumming in his ear also faded as he lost consciousness.


	5. Merged and Manipulated

Danny woke slowly and painfully. Sunlight streamed in from a window and blinded him. What happened? Where was he? A million questions swam through his head, but he had no answers. He gradually sat up and saw a face that had become familiar over the past day, grinning like a tomcat expecting praise for killing a mouse. He reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes and froze.

"Good morning, son. As you can see, our experiment succeeded. Isn't it delightful?" he chirped, clasping his hands together.

Danny was shocked. He put his hand to his chest and felt a strong steady beat, an almost alien warmth. He was only dead two or three days, but he'd already grown used to the tingling hum of his tepid core.

"W- what?" he murmured, thinking it must be a peculiar dream.

"I'm not surprised you can't remember. It must have been traumatic, given the way you were screaming. I can refresh your memory, though," Vlad said, and proceeded to do exactly that. As he recounted the previous night's events, Danny's memories came trickling back: his own corpse, its sickening stillness, the blinding light, and the accompanying surge of pain. Vlad filled in details he didn't know, like the way his body convulsed against the restraints.

It was too much for Danny to take in at once. "Just STOP!" he cried, throwing his hands outward. Electricity arched around the room, breaking light bulbs and striking Vlad.

Recovering from the shock, Vlad caught his breath as he stared at Danny with a look of his confusion, Danny was acutely aware of that feeling of being under a microscope, which heightened his discomfort even further.

Vlad stood and cautiously approached him. Danny longed to escape Vlad's calculating gaze. He ached for his ghost powers, for the ability to disappear from sight, yet was surprised to find himself turning invisible.

Danny stared at the place his hands should be in awe, willing them to come back, and was startled as they reappeared on command.

With Danny now partly visible, Vlad began scrutinizing his hands and wrists, the only visible parts. They looked utterly human, a little pale, but without signs of glowing or other ghostly attributes, aside from the fact that the rest of the body was missing of Danny's own volition. Vlad's eyes widened in a mien of realization.

"Daniel, I want to see you, drop your invisibility." The rest of Danny flicked into sight. "I want you to search for your core."

Danny questioned the point in this ("I'm not a ghost anymore, right?"), but Vlad insisted, telling the boy to just humor him. He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face in concentration, searching for the part of him that buzzed with his ghostly energy.

He found it. It wasn't conspicuous, as it had been. Rather, it was buried, obscured by his own flesh and blood. But once he found prodded at it, it flew to the surface with a blinding crackle of electricity.

Danny was understandably distressed. After all, he had both died and come back in the past two or three days, and suddenly found himself as a ghost again. Vlad, however, was thrilled, and made no attempt to conceal it.

"My boy! This is wonderful news." A panicked stare from Danny. "Don't you understand? You're like me - a halfa." Shock widened his eyes. "When I brought you back to make you my son, I never imagined how much like me you'd be!"

As he removed himself from the plush bed, Danny flew through several emotions in quick succession. First, confusion. "Your son? I thought I was going to go back to my family?" Then hurt. "You would have kept me here away from them? And you never told me?" He finally settled on anger. "You sick old man."

Vlad tried to defend himself, but Danny was having none of it. "I can't believe I ever trusted you," he spat, and began to leave the guest room.

"Where do you think you're going? Vlad demanded.

"Home," replied Danny, and ignoring the door completely, flew intangibly through the ceiling.

* * *

 _ **AN:** Hey everyone! We're almost at the end, so I wanted to thank you guys for reading, and especially thank all of you that reviewed:  Invader Johnny, ImpudentMisconception, gwencarson126, Kimera20, PsychePetras, luxbandit, and kittylover05. Your reviews make my day, thank you!_


	6. Returning and Reuniting

Getting to Amity Park from Wisconsin was not an easy task for a confused boy with no idea where he was. Once he figured out the way to go from train and bus maps, he hitched a ride invisibly on several of each, coming into town on a bus in the wee hours of the morning.

He'd had a lot of time to think on the bus, so he already had some sort of plan when he arrived. Amity Park had only one funeral home, and he hoped they didn't check on their bodies too often.

…

Danny thought he had a plan. He was going to sneak into the funeral home, put himself back where his body had been, and wait to be discovered alive. He hadn't considered that that meant waiting in a body drawer for who knows how long.

It was freezing in there, with a musty smell in the worst possible way. He began to cough, and was heard by one of the employees.

...

Auryon came into the room expecting to see someone, but the coughing sound was coming from the drawers. Clutching at the cross necklace she wore, she drew closer to find its origin. Once she was certain, she carefully pulled open the drawer labeled 'Daniel Fenton' and was met with a burst of cold air, a musty smell, and a doe-eyed look from a very alive Danny. She shrieked and slammed the drawer closed.

A muffled 'hey!' followed, along with renewed coughing and tapping on the sides of the drawer. Auryon nervously slid it open again.

"Um, could you tell me what I'm doing here?" Danny innocently asked.

"Is this a prank? Which one of my coworkers paid you? Where's the real body?" she interrogated, falsely assuming that this was a practical joke.

"I have no idea. Where am I? And what is this thing I'm in?" Danny inquired, as if he knew nothing.

"You're in Daniel Fenton's body's drawer. Get out."

Danny complied, muttering a comment under his breath about how unfair it was that his body got a drawer and the rest of him didn't. Auryon heard him and froze.

"You're Daniel Fenton. What. The. Heck."

"Yep, what's your name?" Danny asked cheerfully. "And do you know why it feels like I got hit by a bus or something?"

Auryon introduced herself as the funeral home director's daughter, and told him that he was supposed to be dead.

By this point, she was very pleased that she hadn't fainted. Just days ago, ghosts began showing up all over town, and now the dead are coming back to life?

"So, is that the door?" Danny asked, gesturing to what was in fact a door.

Auryon, understanding that he wanted to go, led him out of the room. She scribbled a quick note for her father.

She offered Danny a ride home, which he gratefully accepted. She, like everyone in town, knew where to find the peculiar house of the Fentons.

...

"Uh, maybe you should tell them without me. If I show up on the doorstep they'll probably think I'm a ghost. Can I hide out of sight?" Danny pleaded. Auryon knew what a real threat that was, so when she rang the Fentons' doorbell, she did it alone.

Maddie answered, looking like she hadn't slept in days.

"Hi Mrs. Fenton, It's Auryon Atley from the funeral home."

Maddie perked up at those last words. "The funeral home? Has something happened with Danny? Is everything okay?"

Auryon assured her that it was good news, and it'd be easier to just show her. She called for Danny, and he stepped sheepishly into Maddie's line of sight.

To Danny, the possibility of being assumed a ghost was very real. The last thing he expected was a bearhug from his mother. But, with tears in her eyes, that's what Maddie gave him. She was not just a ghost hunter, but also a mother, and here was her son, the child she never expected to see again, seemingly alive and well. The hug gave her a static shock, but she was too focused on the return of her youngest.

After she finally released him, she called for Jack and Jazz. She ushered Danny inside and thanked Auryon for returning her son.

The rest of the Fenton family's day was was filled with joyous celebration. If anyone noticed the small shock they got every time they hugged or touched Danny, they brushed it off as nothing.

* * *

 _ **AN:** AND THAT'S IT! Thank you all very much for reading. I'll eventually write a sequel, but I don't know when. I hope you enjoyed it!_


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